Railway-crossing



2 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented Nov. 29, |898.

W. P. S. YOUNG.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

(Application led July 22, 1898 (N0 Model.)

No. 615,122. Patented Nov. 29, 189s. w. P. s. YOUNG.

RAILWAY CROSSING.

(Application led July 22, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

fNrTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM P. S. YOUNG, OF LEIPSIO, OHIO.

RAILWAY-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 615,122, dated November 29, 1898.

Application iled July 22, 1898. Serial No. 686,611. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. S. YOUNG, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Leipsic, in the county of Putnam and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Crossings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-crossings wherein stub-rails are automatically operated by the passing of a train to operate in connection with the ordinary rails to provide a continuous or uninterrupted rail throughout the crossing. Such a construction is desirable and advantageous beL cause in the ordinary railway-crossings there are always some spaces between the respective tracks of the crossing, thus causing a great deal of jar to the train when passing thereover, creating a great deal of noise, and greatly wearing or crumbling the ends of the rails which are separated.

Heretofore it has been attempted to construct crossings somewhat analogous to mine, but they have been lacking in compactness and strength 5 and my present invention has for its object, primarily, to construct a crossing wherein by direct and positive connections to automatically operate the opposite stub-rails in a direct line in which a train may be passing-that is, when the train reaches one set of stub-rails directly under the train and operates upon the same connections from said set to the set of stub-rails on the opposite side of the crossing will correspondingly operate said opposite set. With this object in view and for thepurpose of more clearly dening my mechanism I have shown in the accompanying drawings one means for carrying the same into effect; but I desire it understood, however, that I do not Wish thereby to be limited to such particular construction which, for the mere sake of illustration, I have delineated, as it will be obvious that slight changes and alterations in the details of construction may be made Without departing from my invention.

In the said drawings, Figure l is a top plan View of a railway-crossing embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of one of the sides of the said crossing. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line :r fr of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the base-plate. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the ordinary rectangular meeting of the rails at a crossing.

B represents the ordinary ties, and C represents a base-plate of special construction upon which my device is mounted, the corners of said plate being cut away to receive the meeting portions of the track.

Secured centrally of the base-section C and projecting upwardly therefrom to the plane of the top surface of the rails I provide the square guard-section D, the purposes of which Will be primarily to prevent lateral movement of the wheels of a train in passing over the crossing and to further serve as bearings for the cross-rods, as hereinafter more fully described. Pivoted a suitable distance from the base-section to one of the ties of each of the respective tracks and properly spaced apart by the blocks e are the stub-rails E, having the lapping portions E extending at right angles thereto from their inner ends in line with the track running in the same direction as said lapping portions and being loosely connected by the pivots c and eyes u. (Shown in dotted lines, Fig. l.) rThese stubrails are normally held apart and abutting with the ordinary rails of the track by the spring-operated pins F, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen that these stub-rails are pivoted slightly inward from the track in order that they may be engaged by the flanges of the wheels of a passing train to draw the lapping portions inward against the action of the spring-actuated pins and permit the train to pass. To facilitate the sliding of these lapping portions and to strengthen the same, I have provided in the base-plate grooves or guides G. It will thus be seen that by this arrangement there can be no unnecessary play whatever between the different parts of the mechanism.

The stub-rails are cut away at their inner portions at e to permit of their working over the outer flanges of the base adjacent the grooves or guides in the same. It is ob IOO viously necessary that the two sets of stubrails directly opposite each other in the track should be operated simultaneously, so that there be a complete passage-way for the train and to attain this in a simple, durable, direct, and strong manner I have devised the following mechanism:

Crossing cach other in the center of the guard-section at right angles to each other and passing through bearings in the sides of the guard-section to a point slightly beyond the lapping portions of the stub-rails and centrally thereof I pivotally secure the rods II. To prevent any lateral play of these rods, I secure thereon adjacent the sides of the guard-section the collars 7L. At the ends of these rods are rigidly secured the circular disks I'I, having the apertures 7L at the sides of the same, as may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Secured in the apertures in these disks and connecting` the same with eyes h2 on the stubrails are the rods or links Ilz, these rods being secured to the disks in a like manner and position at theopposite ends of the rods. These apertures h are positioned the one slightly above and the other slightly below the center of the disk, so that it will be seen (from dotted lines in Fig. 2) that the pressure of the stub-rails inward will shove the rods H2 inward in opposite directions, and thereby turn the disk.

To permit the lapping sections to slide inward and still provide a bearing for the rods II which pass through them, I form the elongated slots K, Fig. 2.

From the foregoing it is believed that the operation of the crossing will now be understood. Suppose a train be approaching the crossing in a direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l. The ilanges of the wheels on said train will engage with and press inward the stub-rails at IV, and it is obvious that at the same time these rails are pressed inward the disk at the end of the rods working therein will also turn and through the medium of the rod II and the disk at the opposite end of said rod draw inward in a corresponding manner the rails at the opposite sides of the crossing, all of which is clearly shown in dotted lines. It will be observed that while the stub-rails in the direction in which the train is going are withdrawn the stub-rails in the track at right angles thereto are in their normal position-that is, the edges of the lapping portions are abutting against and in alinement with the ordinary rails of the track, so that the train going in the direction aforesaid will have an uninterrupted track throughout the crossing, thus avoiding all jar, the noise incident thereto, and the wearing or crumbling of the ends of a rail in the ordinary crossings, it being observed that the lapping portions of the stub-rails together are ot a thickness about equal to the bearing-surface of the wheel, so that the spaces A left near the said sections will in their normal position have no elect on the wheels passing over the same, since there is a bearing-surface of one lap-section opposite each of the said spaces.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a modified form of loose connection between the stub and lap rails comprising the eyes .e and links a'. It will be obvious that by reason of the special forms of connection herein the necessary amount of play to permit of the easy working of the parts when the rails are moved inward is amply provided for, and, further, in the construction of Fig. 5, as clearly shown in dotted lines, the connection is such as to be quite convenient for use in crossings where the respective tracks do not cross exactly at right angles but slightly on the diagonal. In this case the links will change from the position normally shown to that indicated by dotted lines.

IIaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the ordinary tracks, stub-rails pivoted near the ends of the respective tracks, lap portions extending from said stub-rails in a line with the rails of the track running at substantially right angles thereto, rods passing through the lap portions of the directly opposite rails, disks at the ends of said rods,

and links connecting said rods with the stubrails, so that the directly opposite sets of stubs will be automatically operated upon the approach of a train on one set, and means for normally retaining the stub-rails spread apart, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the ordinary tracks, stub-rails pivoted in said tracks, lap portions extending at substantially right angles from said stub-rails, means for normally forcing the rails apart, and a rod rotatably mounted between opposite sets of stub-rails, and connecting means between the rod and stub-rails whereby one set of stub-rails is operated upon the operation of the opposite set, substantially as doscribed.

3. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the ordinary tracks, stub-rails pivoted in said tracks, lap portions extending from said rails in line with the track running at substantially right angles to the stub-rails, a base-plate having the cut-away portions in which the meeting portions of the track fit, and the slots in which said lap portions play, and means for operating the stub-rails to automatically force the lap-sections together, and means for normally holding the stubrails spread apart, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the ordinary tracks, of pivoted springretained stub-rails, lap portions at substantially right angles thereto, and a base, a stationary guard-section D on said base, and slots therein in which the lap portions slide,

IOO

IOS

IIO

'and means connected with the stub-rails bearing in the guard-section for operating the stub-rails, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the ordinary tracks, spring-retained stub-rails pivoted near the ends of the respective tracks, a guard-section, and rods bearing in said guard-section and passing each other at right angles therein, and link connections at the ends of said rods whereby one set of stub-rails is operated upon the operation of the opposite set, substantially as described.

G. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the respective tracks, the guard-section, spring-retained stub-rails, lap portions projecting from said rails in line with the track running at right angles to the stub-rails, and direct connection between the opposite sets of stub-rails, comprising continuous rods having bearing in the guard-section, disks at the ends of said rods, and links connecting said disks with the stubs, substantially as described.

7. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the ordinary tracks, the base, a guardsection secured to said base, stub-rails situated at the ends of the respective tracks and lap portions extending from said stub-rals in a line with the track running at right angles to said rails, guides in the base in which the lap-rails slide, means for normally forcing said rails apart, and means mounted in the guard-section and connected with the rails whereby one set of stub-rails is operated upon the operation of the opposite set, substantially as described.

8. In a railway-crossing, the combination with the track, of a base, a guard-section in the center of the base, stub-rails at the ends of the tracks, lap portions in line with the track running at' right angles to the stubrails, means for normally holding the stub rails separated, and means mounted in the guard-section and passing through the lap portions for automatically operating the opposite sets of stub-rails upon the engagement of one set by the wheels of a train, comprising the rods H, disks h, and links H con necting the disks with the stub-rails, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM P. S. YOUNG.

Witnesses:

D. SIMMONS, A. STEcHsoHULTE. 

